The organisation of the Interreg VA Programme EMR

1.  Introduction

On 9 December 2015 the European Commission approved the new cross-border programme for the Euregio Meuse-Rhine. This programme, “Interreg VA”, covers the entire territory of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine plus for certain elements some adjacent provinces. The programme has a budget of EUR 140 million, which is funded by the European Union, the Member States and the regional partners.

The programme runs from 2014 through 2021 and is to be completed on or before 31 December 2023. Generally applicable European rules have been adopted in connection with the implementation of the programme.

For the organisation and management of the programme a number of jobs are set aside:

-  The Management Authority(MA), responsible for a proper execution of the programme;

-  The Certification Authority (CA), responsible for exercising control of and effecting payment for the programme;

-  The Joint Secretariat (JS), supervised by the MA, responsible for supervising the projects (including the first-level control on expenses, FLC) and offering support to the programme;

-  The Audit Authority (AA), the independent body supervising a proper financial settlement by the party having programme responsibility.

The province of Limburg is designated as MA and CA for the programme, which means that the province is also responsible for the JS. The JS is carried out by the foundation Stichting Euregio Maas Rijn in Eupen. The Government Audit Department is designated as AA.

In view of the fact that the province is responsible for the MA, CA and JS, the province will have to make sure that this is properly organised. This will be done on the basis of transparency, effectivity and efficiency. Naturally, the provisions of European, national and provincial legislation will have to be complied with as well. The costs related to this organisation will for the most part be covered by the project “Technical Support,” which is funded by the programme.

2.  Organisation and strength in outline

The following table represents in outline the organisation.

job / strength / location / tasks
MA / 2 FTEs / Maastricht / Supervision, policy, decisions, monitoring
CA / 2 FTEs / Maastricht / Payment applications, audits
FLC / 2.5 FTEs / Eupen / First-level control of projects and inspection visits
JS / 3 FTEs / Eupen / Providing support to applicants, developing programmes, completing projects, communication
RAs / 5 FTEs / Regions / Offering assistance to projects and in applications, regional communication

During the programme period 2 FTEs are set aside for the MA. These are 2 programme managers who will be tasked with reporting, monitoring projects and applications, calls and selection procedures, monitoring the progress of the programme as a whole, supervising the monitoring system and all other tasks the MA may be required to fulfil. The tasks and job requirements for the MA are detailed in a separate document.

The province of Limburg has also appointed a coordinator – who does not form part of Technical Support but is included in the management structure – who will have final responsibility for the programme and its organisation, and whose principal tasks include the external representation of the programme, maintaining external relationships, and supervising all managing bodies and the management organisation (0.5 FTEs)

The CA also consists of 2 FTEs. No distinction is made within the CA between the employees involved. Both are expected to perform all tasks of the CA at senior level and will consequently be fully interchangeable. Still, working arrangements will have to be made between them and they will be supervised by and the work planning will be made in close consultation with the MA representatives. The tasks and job requirements for the CA are detailed in a separate document as well.

The FLC (First level control) audits all financial information of the projects, both at the office and on the location of the projects. A total of 2.5 FTEs are scheduled:

-  One senior controller, who has final responsibility for the activities of the FLC and is charged with these activities as implementer, together with the other members of the FLC team. He/she maintains contact with both the MA and the projects (1 FTE);

-  One assistant senior controller, who will be charged, together with the senior controller, with on-site control and making analyses in the office (1 FTE);

-  A secretary, who will be charged with offering support to the FLC team and monitoring the data in the monitoring system (0.5 FTE).

The job requirements and description are set out in the annex.

The Joint Secretariat (JS) provides support to the MA for all activities that may be important for the management of the programme and supervision of the projects. The JS comprises:

-  Together with the RAs, the project coordinator provides support to the applicants and final project beneficiaries. The project coordinator is responsible for ensuring a standardised approach and completion, to which end he will draft and monitor guidelines, in consultation with the MA. Where possible, the project coordinator will also provide support to the RAs and is responsible for referrals to and coordination with the MA (1 FTE);

-  The Strategy Coordinator is specifically tasked with monitoring and developing strategic projects within the programme and with monitoring the quality and impact of the programme. The other tasks include supervising and developing the monitoring system (0.5 FTE)

-  Implementation Coordinator, who acts as spider in the web and controls all procedures, acts as principal contact for all bodies and people within the management structure of the programme and conducts the secretariat for the Monitoring Committee. He/she also provides support to the MA-employees in their external contacts (0.5 FTE);

-  Secretary, whose principal job it is to act as point of contact for third parties at the office, and to administrate and manage Technical Support (financial plan for funding the programme management), coordinating agendas and meetings, and providing information where necessary (0.5 FTE);

-  Communication assistant, who is responsible, in close consultation with the MA and the RAs, for communication based on the communication plan, the means of communication, and maintaining the website and social media (0.5 FTE)

The job requirements and description are set out in the annex.

If necessary, some of the above-mentioned jobs may be combined in one employee, including the job of secretary for the FLC. The tasks and job description of the JS, including the FLC, are detailed below.

The Regional Antennas (RAs) are divided over the 5 regions that together make up the programme area and are made up of 5 FTEs, filled in by (senior) project managers who are to provide the links between the projects and the programme and who are to a considerable extent also responsible for the quality of the projects.

3